# For the comic fans: Can You Identify A Superhero Just By Their Colors? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 27, 2015, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-comic-fans-can-you-identify-a-superhero-just-by-their-colors/716117 "2015-03-27T14:40:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Krouget](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b38774/32.png) [@Krouget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krouget)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2015, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-comic-fans-can-you-identify-a-superhero-just-by-their-colors/716117/1 "2015-03-27T14:40:45Z")
So my better half tossed me this challenge, and I figured I’d post it here for the comic fans. Growing up, comics were among my biggest hobbies, and I still have many books from over the years. With many of these franchises now on the big screen, this seems like a fun little test for the hardcore and casuals, alike. [Can You Identify A Superhero Just By Their Colors?](http://www.buzzfeed.com/perpetua/can-you-identify-a-superhero-just-by-their-colors?postId=642444&socialTitle&utm_campaign=vrl&utm_medium=fnpg-viggle&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_term=1427127573372873#.jao3eZLeyq) Interestingly enough, the more into comics you are, the more difficult this can be, for [reasons]. Good luck. 🙂 The spoiler isn’t too revealing, but it should be viewed after the challenge, for fairness. [spoiler]She managed a 7/10, while I managed a 9/10. I’d argue for a 9.5/10, given the last choice was both ambiguous and largely dependent on the version of the character. 😉 Ultimately, I leaned towards popularity with my last vote, and got burned for my pick. Also, [Sue Storm](http://marvel.wikia.com/Invisible_Woman) would have made a nice kicker to this, as a bonus question.[/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2015, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-comic-fans-can-you-identify-a-superhero-just-by-their-colors/716117/2 "2015-03-27T16:22:40Z")
4 out of 10. ---
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2015, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-comic-fans-can-you-identify-a-superhero-just-by-their-colors/716117/3 "2015-03-27T16:45:52Z")
I gave up after 5 attempts I was doing horribly ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2015, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-comic-fans-can-you-identify-a-superhero-just-by-their-colors/716117/4 "2015-03-27T16:46:56Z")
Meh… I didn’t like the way the quiz was set up. It wasn’t made clear that the size of each color corresponded to the ratio of that color in the character. I’m sure that clicked for some people but I didn’t realize that until I read some comments. I would have done much better if I knew that going in. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2015, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-comic-fans-can-you-identify-a-superhero-just-by-their-colors/716117/5 "2015-03-27T17:21:41Z")
> [@Cubsfan](#): > > Meh… I didn’t like the way the quiz was set up. It wasn’t made clear that the size of each color corresponded to the ratio of that color in the character. I’m sure that clicked for some people but I didn’t realize that until I read some comments. I would have done much better if I knew that going in. It clicked for me after I got the first one wrong. But that’s the problem with several of them. The proportions are not always accurate - there were two I got wrong because one of the colours was way too large for it… Iron Man (the gold) and Wonder Woman (the white) Thanks to those, the first one, and a couple I got legit wrong, I scored 5/10. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2015, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-comic-fans-can-you-identify-a-superhero-just-by-their-colors/716117/6 "2015-03-27T17:23:29Z")
I’d argue the results of the Captain Marvel / Flash one. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2015, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-comic-fans-can-you-identify-a-superhero-just-by-their-colors/716117/7 "2015-03-27T19:11:14Z")
No, the proportional problems would have to be way worse than they were to get that colour bar from the wrong guy’s costume. For Flash, the white’s only an accent - the background of his symbol. For Cap, it’s the majority of his cape, which, depending on the artist, can be fairly large - most depictions would put the white at about 1/3 of the red, not less than 1/4 of the yellow (which is only an accent - his symbol (just the outline of his symbol in the current design), and the outline of his cape). ---
**Author:** ![TexCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/texcat/32/9041_2.png) [@TexCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TexCat)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2015, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-comic-fans-can-you-identify-a-superhero-just-by-their-colors/716117/8 "2015-03-27T19:45:54Z")
Wow. Who knew there were so many superheroes that I’d never even heard of? ---
**Author:** ![Krouget](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b38774/32.png) [@Krouget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krouget)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2015, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-comic-fans-can-you-identify-a-superhero-just-by-their-colors/716117/9 "2015-03-27T19:59:19Z")
> [@Cubsfan](#): > > Meh… I didn’t like the way the quiz was set up. It wasn’t made clear that the size of each color corresponded to the ratio of that color in the character. I’m sure that clicked for some people but I didn’t realize that until I read some comments. I would have done much better if I knew that going in. After I answered the first question (correctly), I figured that had something to do with it, but I had to really think with a few and could have argued a case for others. Also, I kept seeing national flags. 🙂 [spoiler]My big thing was that some of these characters have had multiple costumes over the years, like Storm. She’s had everything from the one implied in the quiz, to her classic white outfit. Also, I wasn’t sure how much paraphernalia came into play, or other bits. Captain America has a shield, for example. Meanwhile, Nightcrawler has bluish skin, and it technically didn’t specify that this was _strictly_ the costume color.[/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2015, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-comic-fans-can-you-identify-a-superhero-just-by-their-colors/716117/10 "2015-03-27T21:47:55Z")
7/10. Which is far better than I expected. I was either guessing luckily or I have absorbed more comic book knowledge subconsciously than I realized. Ironically, the only one I felt confident about was #7 and that was one of the three I got wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2015, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-comic-fans-can-you-identify-a-superhero-just-by-their-colors/716117/11 "2015-03-27T22:13:10Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > I’d argue the results of the Captain Marvel / Flash one. Also Captain America/Wonder Woman and Green Arrow/Green Lantern. Anyway, 5/10 here. Ironically I only got Hawkeye right thanks to those “Hawkeye in every “sexy” pose inflicted on superheroines” websites. I only knew him as his Ultimate and movie selves which are fairly close. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-comic-fans-can-you-identify-a-superhero-just-by-their-colors/716117/12 "2015-03-28T02:24:30Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Also Captain America/Wonder Woman and Green Arrow/Green Lantern. I’m sort of with you on the first one, since that’s one of the ones I screwed up, but… Checking again, Cap’s actually got no yellow - a bunch of brown on some significant recent versions, though - so…proportions off or not, Wondie’s really the only valid answer…ah, well. And Green Arrow only has one of the three colours on that one - his costume is generally two shades of green and maybe some brown. ---
**Author:** ![Brainiac4](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brainiac4/32/3534_2.png) [@Brainiac4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brainiac4)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-comic-fans-can-you-identify-a-superhero-just-by-their-colors/716117/13 "2015-03-28T18:57:13Z")
I got 6/10, which disappointed me. Part of the problem I was having is that I know a bunch of different costumes for many of the characters, so trying to figure out which one they’d used as the canonical reference was a bit tough. Obviously. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-comic-fans-can-you-identify-a-superhero-just-by-their-colors/716117/14 "2015-03-28T19:24:55Z")
I managed 8 out of 10. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-comic-fans-can-you-identify-a-superhero-just-by-their-colors/716117/15 "2015-03-28T20:01:35Z")
6/10. Also, Hawkeye is an absolute dork when he’s not headlining his own comic (which is entirely about things he’s doing when he’s not being Hawkeye). ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-comic-fans-can-you-identify-a-superhero-just-by-their-colors/716117/16 "2015-03-28T20:46:55Z")
5/10. I had the same problem as everybody else - _which_ costume? ---
**Author:** ![Plumpudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Plumpudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plumpudding)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2015, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-comic-fans-can-you-identify-a-superhero-just-by-their-colors/716117/17 "2015-03-29T14:27:47Z")
7/10. The one with storm didn’t really make sense. Even in the example picture it is clear most of her costume is black, not dark grey. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2015, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-comic-fans-can-you-identify-a-superhero-just-by-their-colors/716117/18 "2015-03-31T18:02:55Z")
6/10 and I also did not care of the set up. These characters have gone through a lot of wardrobe changes. Tough to pick which set of colors at what ratio corresponds to whom. ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2015, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-comic-fans-can-you-identify-a-superhero-just-by-their-colors/716117/19 "2015-04-03T21:21:58Z")
7/10. Should’ve been 8/10, but I clicked one before reading all the choices. And I agree with Plumpudding about Storm.